This is the longest chapter ever posted! However, as we approach the end of the first part of this story, the chapters will become slightly shorter again :)
Prompto opened his eyes and winced uncomfortably. His whole body hurt, his head was hammering so much he couldn't bear to stare at any source of light. It was scarce in the room he had been taken to, but enough to hurt his eyes.
He had halfway hoped it had all been a dream, that he would wake up in a nice hotel room with the others and laugh it off. But it wasn't: he was still locked up in a dark, empty cell somewhere in the Imperial capital, while Ardyn psychologically tortured him and his MTs beat him until he fell unconscious.
He tried to move but bitterly remembered that his arms were chained to a metal device.
"Wakey wakey".
Prompto was almost tempted to roll his eyes: he hadn't missed that voice, and knew what came next.
"Aww, don't make that face, Prompto. I'm your only friend, here".
Prompto chuckled defiantly but didn't respond. He had had enough of playing Ardyn's stupid games.
"Did the cat bite your tongue? Now now, Prompto, this is not how you treat someone who simply wants to help you?"
"If you really wanna help me, then let me go!" Prompto couldn't help but retort angrily at the voice resonating in the cell. Ardyn laughed.
"Go where, Prompto? You saw how your friend treated you on that train. He knows what you are and despises you for that. He considers you a traitor, and he wants you dead. Oh, I can see them all talking about you, how foolish they have been for not seeing right through you before. But they're happy now that you're gone".
Prompto gritted his teeth, trying to fight back the tears in his eyes: that couldn't be true, it simply couldn't. But then he remembered how Noctis had suddenly turned against him, chasing him all the way to the rooftop where he had looked at him straight in the eyes with pure hatred and mercilessly pushed him overboard.
"Yes, Prompto. I am afraid it's all true" Ardyn continued, his voice sounding sympathetic and understanding "But I can fix it. I can give you purpose".
"By turning me into one of those MTs? Or worse, a Daemon?" Prompto asked, unable to contain his anger.
"You were always meant to be one".
"NO!"
Prompto unsuccessfully tried to fight the chains binding him to the device, only to earn a new bruise on his right wrist.
"Dammit!"
A single tear managed to escape his eyes as he thought of his friends, all the things they had been through and how it all crumbled right before his eyes. And then he thought of Iris: what was she thinking in that moment? What did she think of him now that she knew the truth? Because Noctis must have told her too…
As if Ardyn could read his thoughts, he said "She loathes you".
Prompto snapped his eyes open in shock, his heart felt like shattering and he couldn't help but let the tears stream down uncontrollably.
"Join us, Prompto. You will forget all your fears and all your sorrows"
"I'd rather die" the young blonde replied lowly but firmly.
"Very well then".
Prompto knew he would pay for his insolence: it didn't take long before he heard the familiar marching of the MTs, approaching his cell mechanically.
The gunslinger didn't even bother to look up as he heard the door to his cell open. He saw the shadows of the emotionless soldiers getting closer, and he braced for what was going to happen.
One of them hit him hard in the face with a metal bar, and Prompto felt the skin above his left temple tear open and something wet run down his face. Another swung its weapon hitting him in the stomach, and the blonde felt the air in his lungs being cut off as he doubled over.
He felt the taste of blood in his mouth, and spat a glob of it onto the floor. If his friends really did reject him and hated him for what he was, Prompto would much rather die than accepting Ardyn's offer. He would feel sorry for his parents, whether they were still alive in the first place, but he would not dishonor them to the point of becoming an Imperial killing machine.
He had caused enough trouble anyway. And so he let the MTs punish him, knowing full well he deserved it all.
How long had it been since she had stepped inside the Keep? Iris had lost track of time, wandering about the endless corridors of that labyrinth, occasionally hiding when she met a particular strong group of MTs. She was trying to avoid using the Quicksilver now that she had suddenly discovered she couldn't summon her weapon, because she knew Ardyn was somewhere there, watching her movements...
Was Prompto really in that building, locked away somewhere? Was he alright? Or was he dead?
Iris shook her head, the thought of a seriously injured –or worse- Prompto making her sick.
She carefully advanced when the coast was clear, keeping her eyes and ears alert at any movement or sound.
Her heart felt like flipping when she saw a familiar face: on top of some stairs, looking down at her, was Prompto himself. He looked perfectly fine but something was off. He was staring at her but didn't say anything. She had expected him to come running to her, or at least give some sort of sign he had acknowledged she was right before him.
Instead, he simply stared ahead, immediately turning around and running away when she took a step forward.
"Prompto, wait!" she tried to stop him, but he had already disappeared behind a corner.
She didn't have a good feeling about this as alarm bells rang in her head, but decided to follow him anyway. Was that really Prompto? If so, why was he running away from her? Maybe he was angry and felt betrayed for being pushed off the train by his best friend, without them even trying to come and rescue him straight away.
She needed to explain the truth to him, so she ran after him, following him all the way to the upper floors until she saw him enter a room, the automatic doors closing behind him.
She followed suit and stepped inside a dark cell which looked like a storage room. There were large wooden boxes and some metal containers scattered around. Iris climbed the boxes in order to reach the other side where, indeed, she saw Prompto standing in the middle, giving his back to her.
"There you are, Prompto!" she said relieved, her voice sounding soothing and sweet.
The gunslinger slowly turned around to face her, giving her a stern look. She stopped in her track.
"Why are you here?" he asked, his voice so serious she hardly recognized it.
"To-to find you… and save you" she replied surprised.
"I don't need your help, or anyone else's" he stated coolly, crossing his arms.
"Prompto" Iris tried to reason with him "I know you're angry, I know you're disappointed and I know you're hurt! But you must understand that it was all Ardyn's doing, he made Noct push you off the train! We did try to come save you earlier but Ardyn was always one step ahead of us".
Prompto kept staring at her emotionless, his arms still crossed on his chest as if he didn't believe a word she said.
Iris sighed heavily and gave him a sad look "I'm so sorry, Prompto…"
That whispering sentence seemed to work, for the blonde seemed to relax a bit and untangled his arms. He took a step closer, placing himself in front of her and bore his bright blue eyes into her hazel ones. Iris stared back, her heart pounding against her ribcage but she noticed something was amiss…
"Prom-?"
She was cut off by the photographer who suddenly cupped her face with both hands and gingerly pressed his lips on hers, giving her a long passionate kiss. She was completely startled in the beginning but soon kissed him back, throwing her arms around his neck. She felt his hands slowly traveling down her back, and then to her waist and then to her right pocket.
She opened her eyes, alarmed, and immediately broke the kiss with a shriek when she found herself face to face not with Prompto, but with Ardyn himself. The man was smirking evilly, holding the Quicksilver in his hand.
"Give it back!" Iris commended as strongly as she could, wiping one hand over her mouth to try and get rid of the feeling of his lips on hers. She was absolutely disgusted and terrified: how foolish of her to fall for that trick. Her feelings for Prompto and the fact that she desperately needed to know he was alright had led her straight into Ardyn's trap.
"Poor, poor little Iris" Ardyn mocked while playing with the Quicksilver "You get carried away so easily when it comes to our young Prompto, uh?"
"I said, give it back!" she repeated more vehemently, pointing at the stone.
"Do you really believe I will give the stone back to you just 'cause you're trying to sound threatening? You're nothing without it, Iris Amicitia, and honestly never been anything. Did you feel invincible? You don't even know how to use its true powers!" Ardyn said, still in his mocking tone and never stopping flipping the Quicksilver in the air.
She didn't know what to say or do: he was right. She couldn't do anything without the stone, and he was too powerful for her. But she was the chosen one, right? Not even Noctis could use it, the stone would eventually find its way into her pocket anyway. She smiled slyly.
"Pray tell" Ardyn said with a false polite tone "What's so amusing? I would love to have a laugh!"
"Oh, you'll see soon enough" it was her turn to mock him now. It was only a matter of time before the stone would vanish from his hands and reappear in hers.
"Oh… oh!" Ardyn seemed to realize something and snapped his fingers "Of course! You're thinking that the stone will come back to you because you have been chosen, right?"
Iris was taken aback, and didn't like his calm tone. He obviously knew something she didn't.
"I am so sorry to disappoint you, honey, but the stone likes to change!"
"What?"
"You see" Ardyn continued calmly as if explaining something very simply to a child "The Quicksilver sort of has a mind of its own, I daresay. It does not have single master, but can choose a different one anytime based on their skills and power. The stone is not loyal".
"No… it can't be. It must be another trick of yours! Not even Noct could use it!" she tried to find a logical explanation to why the stone was still in Ardyn's hands and not in hers.
"Noctis might as well be ready for the stone now, if he tried. I doubt it though. Who could the stone ever choose after being in my hands? It acknowledges my true powers, you see? And no one else equals me!"
In one last, desperate attempt, Iris extended one arm and focused on the stone, as if trying to convince it to come back to her. Her heart broke once again that day when the stone remained safely tucked in Ardyn's fist.
She vaguely heard him laugh malevolently before he disappeared, leaving her alone in the dark room. Iris had never felt so empty in her life before.
How long had she been standing in the dark room, her fists clenched and her mind still cursing itself for being so weak and stupid, she didn't know. She should have known all along that Ardyn knew she had the Quicksilver: the bastard always seemed to be one step ahead of them, no matter what. He knew exactly what their next move would be, what their hearts desired, what they were thinking and how to manipulate them all.
Now he had the Quicksilver, and that meant the end of their world, the end of everything. He had won, she might as well just go and wait until darkness came and claimed all of their lives.
But she refused to give up, yet. She needed to find Prompto before the end, she needed to tell him how much she meant to her, even if he didn't feel the same.
Her legs moved automatically and led her outside the room. She was hoping Noctis, Gladio and –her heart ached- Ignis were alright, too. She was starting to feel tired after all the events of the day, and was immensely relieved when she stepped inside a room which looked like a dormitory. She thought she could rest a couple of hours, hoping Ardyn or the MTs wouldn't find her. She guessed that Ardyn was simply enjoying watching them wander around desperately, and lay on the comfortable bed thinking about the hideous but formidable opponent they were facing.
He had Prompto. He had the Quicksilver. The party had been split. Ignis was blind. Iris couldn't see a way out of this.
She was running through the dark tunnels of a dungeon, trying to escape from the terrible Daemon chasing after her. She stopped when she reached the too familiar dead end, turning around to face her demise. But it never came. She was surprised when she didn't see Noctis standing behind her like the previous times. All she could see was a faint light in the distance. It was coming closer and closer.
Iris frowned and tried to focus on the source of light, but couldn't distinguish the form. When it was close enough, however, she recognized the hooded figure that had been haunting her dreams. They stood in front of each other in silence, and Iris felt her heart drumming against her ribcage in anticipation.
The stranger slowly lifted his arms and pulled away the hood which was concealing the face. Somehow, she wasn't surprised when she was met with a crystal-blue eyed, freckled blonde who gave her a weak and almost apologetic smile.
As if his grin was a catalyst, Iris woke up with her heart racing out of control. She looked around the room, trying to remember where she was: the dream had felt so real, with Prompto's genuine smile and the familiar twinkle in his eyes that made him so different from Ardyn's emotionless ones. The dream had only confirmed what she already knew about her feeling for the gunslinger –he had been the mysterious hooded figure all along- but had made her realize that, no matter how good Ardyn was at impersonating people, he would always lack the ability to be human, and a caring one too.
She had been a fool to fall for his trap, but would most definitely never repeat the same mistake again.
When Prompto opened his eyes, the first thing he thought was that he had become blind. All was dark around him and he couldn't tell whether he was in the same cell as always, or what time of the day it was. So he waited for something to happen, too tired and sore to move, let alone speak.
"Prompto!"
Despite the pain which was torturing him, despite the desperation and insecurity he felt, Prompto's head automatically lifted upwards, trying to locate the source of the sound. That voice was so familiar… that unique voice he had so longed to hear once more…
"Ir…is?" his voice sounding so weak he almost didn't recognize it.
"Yes, Prompto. I finally found you!" Iris spoke once again, her voice so soothing Prompto's wounds and bruises almost didn't hurt that much anymore.
"Oh gods, what has he done to you?" she asked, and Prompto felt the warmth of another body beside him.
"Can't… see…" Prompto said and he immediately felt the girl hurry to the opposite side of the cell to find a light switch. Vision came back to Prompto and, even though the light barely allowed him to see the door of his room, it was enough for his heart to swollen with joy and hope: he could distinctly see the girl that had kept him going despite the tortures for so long.
The smile that began creeping up in his face, however, faded away almost instantly: how had she managed to enter his cell? Where were the others? Why had she been standing in the dark until he had come to?
"Prompto, is there something wrong?" she asked as if reading his thoughts.
"You're not Iris" he said coolly, his voice sounding slightly stronger now "This is another one of Ardyn's tricks".
"Prom, it's me, I swear! Whatever that monster has done to you, it's over now. The others have gone to fetch the Crystal, and then we can all go back home. Please Prompto, you've got to believe me" the girl replied with a sad expression on her face.
Prompto didn't know what to believe: Ardyn had tricked him before, and there were so many things that didn't make sense right now.
"Look, it's me" she continued, stepping closer and closer "I just need to find a way to free you from this machine".
Iris started looking around as if expecting to find the key or anything which could help her with the task.
"It's no use, Ir" Prompto said defeated "Ardyn's got the key card. Just get the Crystal and go. I would never forgive myself if something happened to any of you because you were trying to help me".
"You gotta be kidding, right? We will never leave you behind" Iris shook her head, and walked toward him once again, closer and closer. When she was in front of him, Prompto lifted his head again to meet with her hazel eyes, before closing his when she placed the back of her hand on his cheek, caressing it. He tilted his head to the side, enjoying the delicate strokes that comforted him so much, the warmth of her skin…
"You're a fool, Prompto Argentum".
The ice in her voice and the words she had just spoken made him snap his eyes open in shock.
"I lied" she smiled "Well, sort of. It is true that me and the others have come here for the Crystal, but well, as you said… risking our lives for someone like you? Or should I say, something?"
"Wh-what?" Prompto was so confused he was sure his emotions were written all over his face.
"An MT, Prompto. Daemon blood runs through your veins. That's what you are: a traitor. Oh, you should have seen Noctis's face when we found out. He said you deserve it all, and that you're going to rot in here until the end of your miserable days".
Iris was speaking calmly, but with the clear intention of hurting him like never before. And Prompto had to admit that her words were tearing him apart bit by bit, slowly and painfully, and he thought that the beating he regularly received from the MTs hurt much less than this.
"Did you really think I could develop feelings for someone like you? As soon as I found out about your true nature, all I could feel was disgust. You repel me. How can someone love a monster?"
She laughed. A high-pitched, cold laughter which was so out of character on her gracious face, so in contrast with her normally melodic and gentle one.
Prompto watched with tears in his eyes as she opened the door to his cell and locked it again behind her without a second look at him.
"Poor Prompto. Did little Iris break your heart?"
Ardyn's mocking voice resonated throughout the cell and Prompto felt a fit of rage overcome him.
"You should take my advice and join me, soldier, as it was always meant to be. Your friends have abandoned you. I can guarantee you I will never do such a thing"
"You're just messing with my head!" Prompto shouted as much as his weakened state allowed him to "It was you all along!"
"Maybe I have, or may not. One thing is certain, though: I haven't seen your beloved friends anywhere here. If they care so much as you say, why are you still locked up in that room? I would start asking myself that question if I were you"
"They will come" Prompto said firmly despite the pain that once again assaulted him, both physically and emotionally "I know they will".
He was answering Ardyn's question but he knew he was also trying to convince himself that they would indeed come to rescue him. He trusted his friends, he trusted Iris, he had to believe they were somewhere out there trying to locate him. They wouldn't leave him like that.
"Think what you want, kid. But your dear prince did chase after you all over that train before kicking you off it, right? And it's been weeks since that happened. Doesn't seem to me they're anywhere nearby, and you're still connected to my machine. The signs are pretty clear to me, but I take my hat off to you for your loyalty and perseverance".
Prompto didn't bother to answer him, but he would be lying if he said Ardyn's words hadn't installed the tiniest doubt in his mind.
She stopped abruptly when she heard familiar voices not too far from where she was standing. She cautiously followed the direction where their screams were coming from and eventually saw them: Ignis and Gladio desperately fumbling with some switches while Noctis was fighting his way through a long corridor, and a wall of electricity dangerously approaching him.
Was that another one of Ardyn's tricks? Or was it the reality?
Her instincts told her to trust her eyes and go help the three young men. When she was close enough, Ignis lifted his head, recognizing her footsteps.
"Iris" he said simply. Gladio turned his attention to his sister, his eyes widening with relief and worry.
"No time for the greetings, let's get Noct out of there!" she ordered, joining Gladio to find the correct switch to turn off the devilish device. They found it just in time, before the wall could fully hit Noctis who was now crouching in one corner pressing his back against the glass surface of the wall behind him.
"That was a close one" he whispered breathing heavily "I'm so glad to see you guys".
Everyone else nodded, before turning their heads to Iris.
"What happened to you? It looks like you've seen a ghost" Gladio asked after taking a look at his sister.
"I've met something worse than a ghost, believe me" she replied, shaking her head. This was the part where she was supposed to tell them about Ardyn and how she had lost the Quicksilver. When the others gave her a questioning look, she sighed and quickly explained them about her encounter with the mysterious man, carefully avoiding the part where he had kissed her as Prompto in order to steal the stone from her.
"So he has the Quicksilver, too" Noctis whispered angrily. Ignis shook his head and Gladio simply stared at her with a "how could you let this happen?"-look.
"I'm sorry" she muttered.
"No need to be" Noctis replied gently "We all know what Ardyn is capable of. It was not your fault. After all, I've been fooled too, which is the reason why we're in this bloody mess now".
"Right" Ignis intervened "Our priority now is to find Prompto and the Crystal. We will deal with Ardyn later".
The newly reunited friends proceeded all together, and Iris couldn't help but feel relieved to be standing by their sides once more. She had been alone in that abandoned building for far too long and almost thought she was starting to lose it, and the girl felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought of Prompto being held prisoner somewhere in there for weeks.
"I hope Prompto's ok" she said sadly.
"You wouldn't tell, but he's a tough one" Noctis said more cheerfully "He did make it this far, didn't he?"
"He did surprisingly well" Gladio nodded in agreement "I didn't think he'd manage through the first night when we started our journey".
"We all underestimated his potential" Ignis joined the conversation "He has always been one of the bravest and strongest of us all".
It warmed her heart to hear them say such nice things about Prompto, and she couldn't wait until they could tell him in person. Even though they were four now, they were still unable to summon their weapons and, with the Quicksilver gone, their only choice was to run from the MTs that were occasionally sent after them.
"That bastard of Ardyn" Noctis said through gritted teeth after a particular intense chase "He'll pay for all this".
To Iris it felt like they had been walking and running forever. The building didn't have any windows and the party couldn't tell whether it was day or night. They simply kept marching on until their legs couldn't carry them any further and decided to sleep in one of the safe dormitories scattered throughout the keep.
When she was awoken by Noctis tenderly whispering it was time to go, she immediately knew they were on the right track.
"Just a little further. Prompto is waiting for you"
"Ardyn" Iris and Noctis said in unison, their expressions hardening instantly.
"I have had the opportunity to get to know your friend a little better during his stay here. And boy, he's got some skeletons in his closet".
Iris didn't miss the look of surprise and curiosity on the others' faces, and she was sure they could read the same on hers. What did he mean by that? She was tempted to ask the question out loud, but wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"Go ahead. He's just around the corner".
When they followed his instructions, they could indeed see the limp body of their blonde party member hanging by the wrists by a metal device in a locked room. Noctis immediately ran to assist his friend, using the security card he had found days before to unlock the door.
They all burst into the room, with Noctis rushing to free Prompto's wrists from the metal cuffs and Iris cupping his face to check he was still breathing. She gave a sigh of relief when she felt his pulse despite it being quite weak.
While Noctis managed to undo the cuffs, Iris and Gladio stood by each of the gunslinger's side to catch him before he could touch the ground.
The blonde was unconscious, and Iris, Gladio and Noctis gasped when they saw him in the dim light: his bare arms were covered with bruises and cuts, his forehead was bleeding profusely, he had a split lip and several scratches all over his face.
When he came to, his eyes slowly focused on each one of them before widening in fear. Despite being in such a weakened state, the blonde boy managed to break free from their grasp and crawled away from them.
"Prom, it's us" Noctis said confused. He carefully approached his friend and knelt down "It's me, buddy... Noct".
"Yeah right" Prompto retorted defiantly. Noctis's expression turned from relieved and cheerful to confused and hurt.
"What's the matter, dude?"
"You're just messing with my head, leave me alone!" Prompto pushed Noctis away from him with incredible force, and the prince fell onto the cold floor.
"What's your problem?" Gladio asked, lending Noctis a hand.
"Isn't it obvious?" Iris intervened "Ardyn must have done something to him. We all know he likes to mess with people's heads, pretending to be someone he's not".
The party fell silent, processing Iris's words.
The girl moved first, taking a few uncertain steps toward the photographer who was sitting on the floor resting his back against the wall behind him, and his arms wrapped around his head as if shielding him from whatever danger was outside.
She sat beside him and slid one arm around his shoulders and gently stroked his hair. She immediately felt his body stiffen and he quickly grabbed her hand and pushed it away.
"Don't touch me!" he shouted, distancing himself from them all even more.
"Prompto! What the hell is wrong? It's us, dude" Gladio tried to reason with him but it seemed impossible at the moment. The blonde simply stared suspiciously at them, refusing to let them approach him.
"Prompto, I know it is hard for you to believe it really is us this time" Ignis finally spoke "I cannot even imagine what you must have gone through the past few weeks, but I assure you it hasn't been easy for us either. We've been desperately trying to locate you, and we're not letting Ardyn destroy the bond that keeps us together with his bloody tricks!"
"Right! Buddy, it's us. I know Ardyn has been messing with your heah, but he did the same to us" Noctis continued.
The party's hopeful faces fell as soon as they looked at Prompto: no matter what they said, he didn't seem to be willing to believe them.
"Prompto" Iris spoke up after a few moments of silence. She walked once again toward the blonde, not caring when she noticed his feeble attempts to crawl back against the wall.
She knelt down so she was at eye-level with him. "Look into my eyes".
The strange and unexpected request made Prompto instinctively look up and his blue eyes locked with hers. It took all of her self-control not to burst into tears when she saw how empty and hopeless they looked now, so different from the lively twinkle they used to carry.
"What do you see?" she asked when she made sure he wouldn't look away.
He stared at her but didn't respond, so she did it for him "The eyes are supposed to mirror our soul, right? Ardyn's don't carry any sparkle, any light in them. He is an empty, emotionless shell. We are not, Prompto! We are us, we are friends and family".
She smiled tenderly when she saw tears starting to form in his eyes, and she knew she had succeeded. He nodded at her, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to wet his cheeks. He focused his attention on Noctis.
"I knew you'd come. All of you. It's what kept me going all this time. I needed to hold on even only to hear you say I'm the real me" he spoke weakly, composing himself and standing up.
"Were you… worried about me?" he asked after a moment.
"What kind of question is that?" Noctis asked back with a smirk "Of course we were!"
Prompto gave a large smile at his best friend's answer, and the familiar sparkle came back into his eyes.
"Thank you. Everyone".
It was now time to claim back the Crystal and the Quicksilver. Ardyn hadn't spoken since they found Prompto, and Iris knew he was up to something. But she forced herself not to think about the enemy, and only focused on Prompto who was walking beside her, his steps slightly unbalanced and uncertain due to all the damage his body had suffered.
The rest of the party seemed to have noticed too, because they decided to stop at a dormitory where they could try and mend his wounds and let him rest for a while.
Iris guided him to the nearest bed and helped him lie down. She barely registered Noctis's voice and the other three men leaving the room. They were alone now, realization suddenly hitting her and making her heart race.
Iris took a first-aid kit from Ignis's backpack and opened it, immediately focusing on the deep cut on his left eyebrow. The bleeding had stopped, the blood now dried up on his fair skin. She took a wet cloth and began wiping the blood away, before proceeding to cleaning the wound itself and disinfecting it properly. Prompto winced with pain but let her do her job without interrupting until the girl was completely satisfied with the way it now looked.
"It will leave a scar" she said tenderly "But not a very large one".
"It's alright" he replied with a smirk "It's cool to show I've been at war".
Iris couldn't help but laugh "You're such a show-off! Who're you gonna show it to anyway?"
"Uhm, my parents? Or all the kids that used to make fun of me in middle school?" he answered, his signature grin never leaving his face.
Iris didn't say anything, but she did wonder whether he would actually ever get the chance to be reunited with his parents, or meet with the kids he was talking about. Whether she would get the chance to see her family and friends again.
"I hope they're ok" she said, and Prompto understood.
"Thank you, Iris" he whispered softly, placing one hand on top of hers "For taking care of me. I appreciate it".
Iris smiled at him and squeezed his hand, hoping he couldn't feel her racing pulse beneath his hand.
She almost hated herself in that moment: she had promised she would tell him how much he meant to her after finding him, and yet here she was, alone with him, and unable to reveal how she truly felt about him. She was sure Noctis had understood her intentions and therefore had led the others outside, and yet she couldn't fulfill what she had promised to do.
Instead, she focused her attention on the rest of his wounds, mending the ones on his arms and the large cut on his leg. She blushed heavily when she lifted his shirt to check whether his chest and back were fine, and focused solely on the anger that was building up inside her when she noticed how many bruises and cuts had been left on the blonde's body by Ardyn.
She was examining a particularly nasty bruise on his collarbone when she felt his intense gaze on her. She looked up and locked eyes with him, her blush growing even wider as he smirked at her.
He sat up on the bed and took off his shirt entirely so that it could be easier for Iris to use her bandages on him.
"This one is pretty bad" he said, pointing at the nasty looking bruise "I got it when I told Ardyn he could go eat Chocobo excrements when he…"
Prompto trailed off and then shook his head with a smile "Nevermind".
"Do you have some ice for this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl's distracted expression.
"Wha-? Oh, yes, of course!" she answered agitated, and immediately rushed to the backpack by the side of the bed and took some ice for medical purpose. She unpacked it and carefully placed it onto the sore spot indicated by Prompto, trying to ignore their extreme proximity. She could feel his warm breath on her cheek…
"You're so beautiful, Iris" she heard him say, and lifted her head to stare at him. She saw he was giving her a strange look, for there was definitely something different in his eyes. Iris could tell it was indeed some sort of feeling, so different from Ardyn's vacant expression…
Her brain quickly registered how close his face was coming to hers, his lips parting slightly and she instinctively mimicked him. She felt his lips brush against hers lightly when the door suddenly opened to reveal Noctis, Gladio and Ignis walking back in. The couple sitting on the bed immediately separated, with Iris jumping off the bed and Prompto falling back onto the pillow.
"What happened to your shirt?" Gladio blurted out, looking at the gunslinger disapprovingly.
"I-I was merely mending a nasty bruise there" Iris explained, her voice sounding too high-pitched and nervous.
Gladio scoffed at her comment and went to claim the bed beside Prompto, probably to keep an eye on him, while Noctis strode across the room with a knowing smirk on his face. Iris could swear that, before climbing onto his own bed, the prince had winked at them.
Next Chapter: in order to retrieve their weapons, Prompto is forced to reveal what he really is. As Ignis, Gladio and Prompto hold back the Daemons, Iris and Noctis go on ahead to retrieve the Crystal. However, things don't go exactly as planned...